Christians- examine your life.

How many of you out there pluck your eye brows? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Well I do- and I am convinced I am not alone.

David and I are getting ready to go on a nice little vacation to Arizona and so it is essential that I whip out the tweezers and magnifying mirror BEFORE getting on the airplane- because it is important to look your best when flying!

So first I had to find my tweezers and mirror. Then they proceeded to sit on my dresser for two days because I just couldn't find the time to pluck and when I did I didn't feel like inflicted pain on myself! Soo I waited until the last possible minute to accomplish the task.
While standing in a well lit bathroom I look into the tiny mirror and got ready to pull the first tiny hair when I say to myself, "WOW- this is WORSE than I thought!"

Through this experience I couldn't help but think of how examining my life is a lot like plucking my eye brows.

When I say "examine your life" what I mean is for us as Christians to sit down and accurately take a look at our walk with Christ. Like plucking, first you must find the materials- for me that is my Bible, journal, and quiet place.
To pluck your eye brows you need a good magnifying mirror so that you don't miss those tiny blonde hairs that like to hide! The same is true when examining our life- or our hearts rather- we must get out the mirror that looks into the depths of our hearts- we don't want to miss those things that deserve plucking from our deep, dark hearts.... in Christian talk we call those things- sin. In order to move from the place of sinning in an area of our life to not we have to identify it as in fact- sin. So often I sit down and pull out my heart magnifying mirror and I have the same experience as when plucking- WOW- this is WORSE than I thought!
It is really painful to pull out the tiny hairs from my skin and it is really painful to confess and walk away from sin. I often want to think that I am not so bad and I have it all together- but sometimes I am just as the hypocrites Jesus described in Matthew 15:8 when he said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

The other thing we must consider is the very act of plucking vs. shaving. When I was about 13 years old I decided it was time to begin getting rid of those tiny little facial hairs that can become the DREADED unibrow (oh the very word makes me cringe!) So I pulled out the shaver and proceeded to shave my eye brows! As soon as my mom discovered this she said, "Adrienne, you really shouldn't shave your eye brows because they will grow back darker and you will have more!"I think the same is true when we consider what it means to examine our hearts. If we choose the easy way out and shave over our sin spots - they may in fact come back deeper, darker, and more! We must pluck those things straight from our hearts! In the Beautitudes Jesus is talking about how our hearts are more important than just upholding laws- For example- Murder- it's not enough to avoid killing someone- but we must not even go to worship God if we are quarreling with someone- first we must go and resolve the issue! Adultery- it's not enough to avoid having sex outside of marriage- but to even look at someone lustfully is adultery of the heart!

He goes on to say, "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

The act of plucking- or a genuine confession of sin and repenting- or turning away from what you just confessed is LIFE!

Socrates had it right when he said:

"An unexamined life is not worth living."


But John said it better when he wrote, 9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

In order to confess our sins we must examine our hearts to know what those sins are!

So let's find those tweezers and magnifying mirrors and pluck all that keeps us from pursuing Christ while remembering that it will be painful (only for a moment), but the end result will be recognition of our sinful hearts and hopefully greater devotion to the One who makes us pure and clean.